The Caucus on New and Underused Reproductive Health Technologies is a community of practice established under the auspices of the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition, for which PATH serves as Secretariat. Caucus members developed this series of peer-reviewedbriefs on underused reproductive health technologies. Responsibility for the selection and contents of the briefs rests solely with the Caucus and does not imply endorsement of any single technologyby the Coalition or its wider membership. The briefs are available in one combined file as well as separately. For more information on the Caucus, please visit http://rhsupplies.org/index.php?id=894 or contact secretariat@rhsupplies.org.

This issue of Outlook reviews the evidence base for microfinance approaches to improve and address women’s health. It begins with background on the microfinance sector and links between microfinance and health. Interventions and approaches focused on family planning, women’s health services utilization and access (including health financing mechanisms), and HIV prevention are discussed. The issue concludes with suggested operational considerations for integration and priorities for future research. Some positive experiences with microfinance and women’s health signify that this area merits increased attention, yet more evidence of impact is needed.

The Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition is a global partnership dedicated to making essential reproductive health products available in low- and middle-income countries. As the Coalition’s administrative and operative arm, the Secretariat works to ensure that our partnership functions smoothly and achieves its goals. This report highlights key successes achieved in 2010.

It is widely recognized today that ensuring a reliable supply of quality contraceptives is essential to reproductive health programs. The tagline "No product? No program" is known, understood, and embraced by those working to support reproductive health in the developing world. But this was not always the case. This paper tells the story of how what was once seen only as a technical issue became a global movement.

This study offers policy analysis of data previously collected on the ability and willingness to pay for family planning in Vietnam. PATH is helping the government of Vietnam to design a total market approach to family planning, which calls for a coordinated response by the full range of family planning service providers to meet a population’s diverse needs.

This two-page summary describes the Reproductive Health Supplies Coalition (RHSC). PATH serves as the secretariat for the RHSC, which provides global leadership in making essential reproductive health products available in developing and transitional countries.

This is the newsletter of APHIA II Western, a USAID-funded project that aims to promote the adoption of healthier behaviors, increase the use of HIV and AIDS health services, and promote family planning/reproductive, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, and malaria prevention services in Western Kenya. It also aims to work with communities to enhance access to health services for pregnant mothers, comprehensive care for orphans and vulnerable children, and fight HIV-related stigma and discrimination and gender-based violence.

As more developing countries take on responsibility for purchasing health commodities, requisite capabilities—such as decision-making, planning, and technical skills—often require strengthening. To address this need, PATH developed the comprehensive Procurement Capacity Toolkit for those responsible for and involved in the supply of reproductive health products. The toolkit is available as one large file or, for faster downloading, 17 smaller files.

This issue of Outlook discusses the emerging chronic disease burden in developing countries with a focus on cardiovascular conditions, diabetes, and the risk factor of obesity. The newsletter addresses relationships between chronic diseases and reproductive health, such as hypertension and diabetes in pregnancy, and contraceptive choice for women with cardiovascular conditions and risk factors.

This is the newsletter of APHIA II Western, a USAID-funded project that aims to promote the adoption of healthier behaviors, increase the use of HIV and AIDS health services, and promote family planning/reproductive, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, and malaria prevention services in Western Kenya. It also aims to work with communities to enhance access to health services for pregnant mothers, comprehensive care for orphans and vulnerable children, and fight HIV-related stigma and discrimination and gender-based violence.

This is the newsletter of APHIA II Western, a USAID-funded project that aims to promote the adoption of healthier behaviors, increase the use of HIV and AIDS health services, and promote family planning/reproductive, maternal and child health, tuberculosis, and malaria prevention services in Western Kenya. It also aims to work with communities to enhance access to health services for pregnant mothers, comprehensive care for orphans and vulnerable children, and fight HIV-related stigma and discrimination and gender-based violence.

This report shares findings from an assessment of how access to critical services for populations at risk of HIV and unintended pregnancy can be strengthened by converging HIV and sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services under the National Rural Health Mission and the National AIDS Control Programme in India. The report provides information on the demand for, opportunities for, and challenges of implementing HIV and SRH convergence in four Indian states—Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh. The report is available as one large file or as two smaller sections for easier downloading.

This document reviews global literature on the impacts and implications for converging HIV and sexual and reproductive health services for people most at risk: young men and women, sex workers, and HIV-positive people.

This issue of Outlook focuses on using behavior change communication (BCC) to encourage healthy individual and societal behaviors related to sexual and reproductive health. It also addresses the challenges and importance of monitoring and evaluating BCC programs.

This is one of a series of fact sheets that describe PATH's current and past work in Kenya. The fact sheets focus on specific projects as well as unique approaches that cut across projects. This fact sheet describes the work of the Nairobi Urban Health and Poverty Partnership to address the poor health outcomes associated with rapid urbanization and the related inaccessibility of adequate basic services.